diff --git a/nitrite-mvstore-adapter/src/test/java/org/dizitart/no2/collection/operation/IndexDirtyMarkerDurabilityTest.java b/nitrite-mvstore-adapter/src/test/java/org/dizitart/no2/collection/operation/IndexDirtyMarkerDurabilityTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9a482e3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nitrite-mvstore-adapter/src/test/java/org/dizitart/no2/collection/operation/IndexDirtyMarkerDurabilityTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2017-2021 Nitrite author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ *
+ */
+
+package org.dizitart.no2.collection.operation;
+
+import org.dizitart.no2.Nitrite;
+import org.dizitart.no2.collection.Document;
+import org.dizitart.no2.collection.NitriteCollection;
+import org.dizitart.no2.common.Fields;
+import org.dizitart.no2.mvstore.MVStoreModule;
+import org.junit.After;
+import org.junit.Before;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * The index dirty marker is crash-recovery state, so it has to survive a restart.
+ */
+public class IndexDirtyMarkerDurabilityTest {
+    private static final String COLLECTION = "dirty-marker-test";
+    private static final Fields FIELDS = Fields.withNames("value");
+
+    private String filePath;
+    private Nitrite db;
+
+    @Before
+    public void setUp() {
+        filePath = System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir") + File.separator + UUID.randomUUID() + ".db";
+        db = openDb();
+
+        NitriteCollection collection = db.getCollection(COLLECTION);
+        collection.insert(Document.createDocument("value", 1));
+        collection.createIndex("value");
+
+        // make sure the meta map is on disk and its page is clean again, so that only a
+        // later write of the marker itself can change what the file holds
+        db.commit();
+    }
+
+    @After
+    public void tearDown() {
+        if (db != null && !db.isClosed()) {
+            db.close();
+        }
+        File file = new File(filePath);
+        if (file.exists() && !file.delete()) {
+            file.deleteOnExit();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private Nitrite openDb() {
+        return Nitrite.builder()
+            .loadModule(MVStoreModule.withConfig().filePath(filePath).build())
+            .openOrCreate();
+    }
+
+    private boolean reopenAndReadDirtyMarker() {
+        db.close();
+        db = openDb();
+        try (IndexManager indexManager = new IndexManager(COLLECTION, db.getConfig())) {
+            return indexManager.isDirtyIndex(FIELDS);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testMarkerSurvivesRestartWhenIndexingStarted() {
+        try (IndexManager indexManager = new IndexManager(COLLECTION, db.getConfig())) {
+            indexManager.beginIndexing(FIELDS);
+        }
+
+        assertTrue("an index that was left mid-build must still read as dirty after a restart",
+            reopenAndReadDirtyMarker());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testMarkerIsClearedAcrossRestartWhenIndexingCompleted() {
+        try (IndexManager indexManager = new IndexManager(COLLECTION, db.getConfig())) {
+            indexManager.beginIndexing(FIELDS);
+            indexManager.endIndexing(FIELDS);
+        }
+
+        assertFalse("a completed index must not read as dirty after a restart",
+            reopenAndReadDirtyMarker());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/nitrite/src/main/java/org/dizitart/no2/collection/operation/IndexManager.java b/nitrite/src/main/java/org/dizitart/no2/collection/operation/IndexManager.java
index bba34a63..4448b634 100644
--- a/nitrite/src/main/java/org/dizitart/no2/collection/operation/IndexManager.java
+++ b/nitrite/src/main/java/org/dizitart/no2/collection/operation/IndexManager.java
@@ -213,6 +213,10 @@ private void markDirty(Fields fields, boolean dirty) {
         IndexMeta meta = indexMetaMap.get(fields);
         if (meta != null && meta.getIndexDescriptor() != null) {
             meta.getIsDirty().set(dirty);
+            // put the meta back, otherwise the flag is only changed on the instance get()
+            // returned and the store never learns the entry has to be written. The marker is
+            // crash-recovery state, so both directions of it have to reach the disk.
+            indexMetaMap.put(fields, meta);
         }
     }